THE controversial 'free bar' in Farnham now has a licence to sell alcohol, but the owner has no plans to change his business model.

THE controversial 'free bar' in Farnham now has a licence to sell alcohol, but the owner has no plans to change his alternative business model.

Innsatiable, which is officially a furniture shop, has been operating unlicensed but legally - with customers getting their drink for free and being given the option to buy a beer mat - since July.

A premises licence was granted on Monday (November 5) but owner Simon Atkins said: "This doesn't alter the way we're running the business at all. We never got the licence to legitimise the business because there was never any need to do that.

"It was to prove [that] a licence is no excuse to charge high prices for drinks. If anything, we may even drop our prices. We're not selling alcohol and we don't plan to."

Customers at Innsatiable, based in the Woolmead, are given free alcohol at the furniture shop and are then asked if they would like to purchase a beer mat for £2.75. They can also buy other furniture on display.

Since it opened, Mr Atkins said the business had been going well and described it as a "revolution" in retail.

The premises licence application came after South West Surrey MP Jeremy Hunt wrote to the Home Office about the licensing loophole, asking if it could be addressed.

At the time, Mr Hunt said: "Legally the owner of Innsatiable is doing nothing wrong but I know that there are genuine concerns about the impact of the scheme on the pub trade in Farnham and fears that similar businesses might open in other towns.

“Therefore I have asked the minister responsible for alcohol licensing to have a look at this loophole and its potential implications.”

More branches

But Mr Atkins pointed out any change in legislation could take years and would affect several other businesses.

He said: "Changing the legislation to say you can't give out free alcohol would affect an awful lot of people.

"For example, a car company couldn't launch a new car and give away alcohol for free."

When asked if Mr Hunt's letter played any part in his decision to apply for a licence, Mr Atkins replied: "Absolutely not. His letter made no difference to us, this is all about proving a point."

He now plans to open a further two branches in Winchester and Chichester, which will both follow the same model as the Farnham branch.

A spokesman for Waverley Borough Council confirmed Innsatiable had been granted a premises licence and there were no objections to the application.

The licence allows alcohol to be sold from 10am to 11.30pm, Monday to Thursday, until 11.45pm on Fridays and Saturdays and until 10.30pm on Sundays.